E3 2014 Day 0 wrap-up: Sony saves best for last

Two facts became abundantly clear on the news conference day of E3. The first is that Sony once again dominated the unofficial start of the show with one huge announcement after another. The second is that though there are going to be great-looking games coming this year (Far Cry 4, The Crew, Destiny and Evolve), everything I want to play is scheduled for 2015.

That was the general theme of this year’s briefings starting with Microsoft. The Redmond, Washington-based company had a solid kick-off with Sunset Overdrive headlining the first-party offerings and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare leading the third-party games. But I was more intrigued with the trailers for aTomb Raider and Crackdown. The biggest surprise was that renowned game designer Hideki Kamiya has a new action title called Scalebound in the works.

Dragon Age: Inquisition showed off gorgeous environments, something the series had been lacking.

That thread continued on to EA’s gathering, where titles such as Dragon Age: Inquisition and Madden NFL 15 impressed but the promise of a new Star Wars: Battlefront, Mass Effect and Mirror’s Edge teased gamers. EA pulled an interesting move launching the beta for Battlefield: Hardline at its conference. The new take on the shooter is centered on cops and robbers, but it’s on a much broader scale with criminals who can zipline and BASE jump across downtown Los Angeles and officers who can bring in heavy vehicles and helicopters. It’s a welcome twist to the formulaic military shooters.

On the other hand, Ubisoft had one of the stronger outings with showings of 2014 titles Assassin’s Creed Unity and Far Cry 4. Both games have become some of the cornerstones for the firm and its developers, who know how to make rich, open-world games. But even Ubisoft brought an unexpected announcement in Rainbow Six Seige, which appears to be an intense team-based shooter focused on close-quarters fighting. The fact that players can use drones and new tech to scout foes and break through walls with precision explosives could make it a game-changer in the genre. Think of it as Counter-Strike on steroids.

Naughty Dog looks like it will set the bar again this generation with Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

But it was Sony that dominated the day in a news conference that dragged in places but was chock-full of major announcements. Bungie’s Destiny led off the briefing offering the backstory to what’s going to be one of the most anticipated titles this year. Oddly enough, other than LittleBigPlanet 3, it looks like the Japanese company will be relying on third-party titles for the fall and holiday season as most of its big guns will be headed toward 2015 and beyond.

It was more of a briefing that was looking ahead with demos and trailers for games slated for six months and beyond. The Order: 1886 looked better than it did a year go, showing a more survival-horror side. A huge applause from the crowd erupted when Bloodborne was revealed. Rising game designer Hidetaka Miyazaki returns with what looks like a spiritual successor to Dark Souls set in a Victorian world. The news that a remastered Grim Fandango drew a similar reaction from fans of the cult adventure game.

But the biggest and most jaw-dropping reveal was for Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. It looks like Naughty Dog is once again setting the bar for this generation of consoles with a stunning level of visual fidelity. Nathan Drake, the star of the series, looks like a real person now. This could be the game where players won’t be able to tell what’s reality and what’s a game. The graphics look that good.